There has been a lot of speculation surrounding the mutual parting between Level Up and Super Arcade (Mike Watson). We hope this post will dismiss the speculation and rumors.

First and foremost, our parting has nothing to do with parties or individuals outside of Level Up and Super Arcade. There were no external influences or arm bending. The decision is mutual and there is no friction between Mike and Level Up.

When Level Up brought WNF to Super Arcade back in September of 2011, we knew it was going to be a hit. Things went well and Level Up began purchasing more consoles, monitors, and games to keep the hype going. Attendance went out the door, literally, so we launched The Runback in March of 2012. Mike recollects the rebirth of Super Arcade and how WNF became Arcade Edition here: http://superdojo.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-rebirth-of-super-arcade-and-how-wnf.html

Financials become a challenge for Mike so Level Up steps into high gear to produce more events (Final Strike, Injustice Launch, SEGA Cup, and Super Smash Sundays to name a few) to generate additional income for Super Arcade.

After the remodel, PC was introduced to Super Arcade. We wanted to see if we could lay the foundation for PC gaming at the arcade. We spoke to Mike and he agreed to move forward. WNF is doing well, grudge matches are brought back, and then the night of 11/7/2014 happens.

With much internal frustration and anger with others outside of Level Up and Super Arcade, Mike uses this night to vocalize his opinions about various topics. One of those topics touches base on our old school days.

We speak to Mike that same night to let him vent about said topics. That’s what friends do. During the conversation, he elaborates more on his statement about doing things the old way. We discuss some more and decide that it would be best to part ways, allowing Mike to fully utilize Super Arcade to execute on his plans and goals. Then the announcement was made the next day that Super Arcade and Level Up parted ways.

Even though we are no longer partnered, this does not mean our paths cannot cross in the future. We are still supporting Mike by lending him our equipment to keep things running smoothly at Super Arcade and #37Reloaded.

Mike, Alex, and I have been friends since the 90s and we have been through both good and rough times together. Nothing changes that comradery. We wish the best for Mike and Super Arcade.

Be on the lookout for updates about WNF, TRB, and SSS in the near future. In the meantime, we are going to take a much needed break from the weeklies to plan the next SCR and other events.

Thank you to all of our players, viewers, and sponsors for supporting Level Up events at Super Arcade. We appreciate your understanding and look forward to our next adventure together.

About ShinJN

Jimmy Nguyen is the Chief Operations/Financial Officer and Co-Founder of Level Up, LLC. A long time gamer, tech guru, former competitive player, and tournament organizer, he is deeply rooted in business development, ethics and best practices, building and improving Level Up Productions, and handles both company and event logistics.

2 Comments

This is a real dissappointment to me.Use to rush home from work to see the competitions at WNF.To me,this was like my Monday night football.I am not a sports person.So to see a team pull off a show on something that has been my interest since I was little.Meant a lot to me.Hopefully I will see you guys back again on twitch.Fingers crossed!